Today, no business remains untouched by leveraging the website. It’s the first welcoming platform for your potential customers, showcasing all the crucial information about your business. A well-designed site creates a strong first impression and acts as a bridge to connect with your clients.
Well, in creating such wonderful websites, web designers are the true minds behind. That’s what puts them in the high-demand range.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of “Web Developers and Digital Designers” in the U.S. is projected to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
However, before entering this profession, web design professionals should understand the pricing models and costs. So, how much do web designers charge? One must be well aware of it. Additionally, knowledge is equally important for the client’s decision to hire a website designer.
If you are a professional web designer or client seeking website design services, our words will serve as a true web design pricing guide to the question above. Additionally, identify the factors that determine the cost.
📌 Key Takeaway
- Hourly rate, flat rate, and project pricing are common pricing models in web design costs.
- Key factors that justify web design prices include project complexity, website type & market rates.
- Website maintenance, like regular updates and security checks, is included in the overall cost.
- Using an online estimate maker can streamline the website design estimation process.
- The average cost of hiring a freelance web designer ranges from $60 to $200 per hour, depending on experience.
What Is an Average Web Designing Cost?
The average web design cost range for a simple website is $1,000 to $3,000. This goes for an average or intermediate website design, costing $3,000 to $7,000. The highest cost is for advanced website design, which can range from $15,000 to $85,000 or more due to its complexity.
The website designer cost always depends on its complexity and several other factors. A simple website costs less than a website with more advanced features. Website designers’ experience, business goals, and ongoing costs are other factors influencing the web design estimate.
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What Are the Pricing Models for Web Design Services?
Before we understand how much a web designer costs, we need to know the different pricing structures. There are different pricing models to streamline the project estimation. Web designers can charge on the basis of any one of these models:
Hourly Rate Pricing
In the hourly rate pricing model, website designers typically charge by the hour. This kind of pricing model is very common among freelance web designers. The per-hour rate for website design varies based on factors such as location, professional experience, and project complexity. It means charges vary from designer to designer.
Flat Rate Pricing
Professionals charge a flat fee in this web design pricing model. It is more common among agencies and companies. In contrast, freelancers do not prefer this type of model. It is because they have no clear idea of the project’s duration that affects their project estimation. A professional website designer can divide the total cost by the estimated hours to predict a per-hour price idea.
Project-Based Pricing
Project-based pricing is another model. Like the flat-rate pricing model, this model also uses a fixed rate regardless of the time and resource use. However, this type of model is better suited to complex projects. The total website designer cost is agreed upon between the client and the designers. Thus, it gives transparency.
Retainer/Subscription Pricing Model
This web design pricing model applies to ongoing website design and maintenance. In this model, professionals charge a fixed, recurring fee on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis, rather than charging per project. The major benefit of this model is that it keeps the client bound in the long term. Professionals get a smooth income flow, and the client gets an uninterrupted service.
Per Day or Per Week Pricing Model
Similar to an hourly pricing model, web designers charge the amount on a daily or weekly basis. It is also quite common among freelancers. The website design cost varies depending on the days or weeks needed to complete the work. Generally, this model is suitable for short-term website design projects. Designers can easily manage their multiple projects.
💡Also Read:
8 Factors Affecting the Website Designer Cost
In the next part of our web design pricing guide, we look at the factors that affect website design costs. Website designer’s cost relies on several factors, which are as follows:
1. Project Duration
Long-term projects require more resources and a greater time investment. It also leads to higher costs. Additionally, designers invest more time in planning, customization, and testing in such projects. Thus, longer projects always cost more.
2. Experience of a Designer
The designer’s experience significantly affects the cost of web design. A designer with extensive experience and a strong portfolio will charge more. The reason is simple: he can handle complex projects with his expertise. On the other hand, low-level experienced designers will charge less.
3. Type of Website
There are several categories on the website. It can be a simple informative one-page website or a full e-commerce website with several pages. Web design services pricing depends on the category. A simple website will be cheaper than a full website with multiple pages and options.
4. Current Market Rate
The current market price is also one of the factors that web designers consider. The price fluctuates due to many reasons. Professional web designers need to adjust their costs to reflect the current market price increase. This adjustment is necessary to maintain profitability.
5. Level of Complexity
The website’s complexity also determines the cost. A simple & well-designed website with minimal pages or a single-page website built at low cost. In contrast, a website with multiple pages and various features will be costly. The reasons are time investment, designers’ hard work, and resource utilization.
6. Business or Industry Niche
The website design cost also depends on the business for which the website is being created. Some industries, like healthcare and financial services, need websites with advanced features that automatically increase costs. Also, it is necessary to have a website that complies with specific regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
7. Designers Location
Pricing web design also depends on the designer’s location. The high cost of living in a region can lead the designer living there to charge a high fee. For instance, designers in the USA will charge more than those in Southeast Asian countries.
8. Additional Services
The web design fees also increase if they provide additional services such as content creation, search engine optimization, hosting, and ongoing website maintenance. The cost of such services is included in the total cost.
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How Much Do Web Designers Charge?
Now we will explore the relevant information on our main topic: how much web designers charge. Here, we’ll present web designers’ charges by category. These categories are based on complexity type, website type, and designers’ location.
Let’s look at the different categories:
On the Basis of the Types of Complexity
The website’s complexity increases in parallel with its size and number of extra features. Here are the different sets describing the cost of the website as per the complexity type:
• Simple Website Design
A simple website is purely for presenting the information with a simple layout. A single-page website or one with minimal interactive features falls into this category. In general, local service providers, startups, and other small businesses use such websites.
Cost: A typical website design cost range for a simple design is $1,000 to $3,000.
• Average Website Design
An average website design contains more features and options than a single website design. Small and medium-sized businesses prefer these kinds of websites because they offer more features than a simple website. Businesses such as travel & hospitality, construction companies, and retailers use such websites.
Cost: The typical cost range of an average website design is $3,000 to $7,000.
• Advanced Website Design
Advanced website design refers to a website at the highest level of complexity. It has a large number of options and multiple pages. Additionally, animations, responsive design, video integration, and interactive elements are crucial components of these websites. E-commerce companies, entertainment companies, and other large corporations use such websites.
Cost: The typical cost range of this kind of website is $15,000 to $85,000 or more.
On the Basis of the Website Type
Website categories are another factor to consider when estimating how much it costs to hire a website designer. There are different types of websites, and each has a different purpose. Here are the different cost ranges of different website types:
• Landing Page Website Design
Many businesses need to run ad campaigns, which is why landing page websites are in demand. Moreover, it is also useful for product selling and lead generation. A landing page is a single page in a simple form where business professionals want their visitors to take action. Form integration, custom layout, and graphics are major elements affecting the cost.
Cost: The average cost for landing page website design is $500 to $10,000 or more, depending on complexity.
• eCommerce Website Design
An e-commerce website has the most pages and a product catalog. Additionally, it includes features such as a cart, payment gateways, and customer login. All these are the major factors in increasing its complexity. The major cost factors in such websites are customization level, product catalog size, and backend functionality.
Cost: The cost range of an e-commerce website is $6,500 to $70,000.
• Corporate Website Design
A corporate website is purely entangled to represent the organization’s identity. It showcases services, products, the organization’s history, and other crucial information. On such websites, CRM integration, custom functionality, and interactive elements are the major factors driving high costs.
Cost: The typical cost range for corporate website design is $8,500 to $40,000, depending on the website’s size.
• Blog Website Design
The core purpose of a blog website is to present valuable information to the users. These types of websites are perfect for bloggers or an organization sharing useful information. The typical cost factors in such websites are social sharing, basic SEO features, & custom theme design.
Cost: The typical cost range for designing the blog website is $250 to $35,000+.
💡Pro Tip:
By using a logo design invoice template, professional designers can level up their billing & boost their creative work while saving up to 40% of time.
On the Basis of the Types of Web Designers or Teams
When you are estimating how much a website designer costs, it also depends on the type of web designer you hire. It may be freelancers or an in-house design team. Here are the different types of web designers:
• Freelancer Website Designer
The most cost-effective option in website design is hiring a freelance designer. These professionals typically charge lower website design prices because they work independently and have lower overhead. Hiring a freelancer is ideal for short-term projects with a limited budget.
Cost: The cost range for freelance website designers is $550 to $5,500 per project, and the hourly rate can range from $60 to $200.
• In-House Website Designers
An in-house website designer is a group of designers organized as an internal department. Hiring an in-house website designer works better for large projects. It provides a dedicated team that continuously updates on the work progress. The major cost components include salaries, training, software subscriptions, and other overhead costs.
Cost: Hiring an in-house website designer costs $40,000 to $130,000 or more.
• Professional Web Design Agency
Like hiring website designers, hiring a web design agency is also preferable for many businesses. One of the benefits of choosing such agencies is that clients have access to a complete set of resources, including a designer, a developer, and other experts. Also, these agencies are capable of handling large & complex projects easily.
Cost: The typical cost range for a professional web design agency is $1,500 to $160,000, depending on the project’s complexity and expenses.
On the Basis of the Website Designer’s Location
The website designer’s location also significantly affects the estimate for web design services. Different regions have different cost ranges based on their cost of living, labor cost, and market conditions.
Here is the tabular form presenting the cost of multiple regions:
| Region | Cost Per Hour |
|---|---|
💡Bonus Tip:
Charging 20% to 25% of the total cost upfront is the best way to protect your project and client commitments.
Is There Any Hidden Cost in the Web Design?
Some of the costing factors can be considered as hidden costs in web design. These are as follows:
Domain Name and Hosting
These are generally considered recurring costs. Buying the domain typically costs around $10 to $2500 per year. On the other hand, hosting can reach $10 to $50 per month.
Utilization of Special Tools and Themes
Special tools and themes are required to make the website visually appealing while maintaining essential functionality. This results in increased costs and is often considered a hidden cost in website design.
Online Store Fees
In e-commerce websites, certain tools and services are required to enable online selling. This includes online payment integration, shopping cart integration, and third-party subscription. All these charge some amount known as online store fees.
Content Creation & SEO
Offering value-added services like content writing & search engine optimization is another hidden cost. As a professional designer, you can offer these services in your package.
Fees for Updating Sites
Once the website is launched, it is necessary to have regular monitoring and include updates. It covers changing the content, fixing bugs, & updating plugins. The applicable fees for such activities are billed separately as hidden charges.
Role of Moon Invoice in the Website Designers’ Profession
Moon Invoice is the best invoicing software for graphic designers, with advanced features to revamp project management, invoicing, estimation & expense management. The platform provides a one-to-one solution for website design professionals to manage their projects and their billing efficiently.
Key features compelling website designers to choose it:
- Auto-calculation – The templates automatically calculate totals. Once professionals input the data, the template computes the final sum, including discounts and taxes.
- Tracking Billable Hours – Moon Invoice makes it easy to track billable hours. Accurate hours help web designers create precise project estimates based on real time spent.
- Customized Templates – Offers 66+ customized and professional invoice templates for invoices, estimates, and receipts. Using the graphic design invoice template, designers can generate the invoice they need.
- Customized Reports – Web designers can generate 15+ business and financial reports tailored to specific needs, offering insights into sales, profits, and project performance.
- Multi-currency & Multi-language Support – Easily manage international projects with support for multiple currencies and languages.
- Expense Management – Designers can manage expenses in one centralized place. The AI-powered platform scans receipts and helps track and organize all expenditures.
- Faster Payment Collection – Supports 15+ payment gateways (Stripe, Apple Pay, PayPal, etc.). Clients can pay securely from anywhere, helping website designers maintain steady cash flow.
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Last Remarks
A correct estimate is important when you work as a professional website designer or hire one. Additionally, a fair cost projection comes when you have a clear understanding of how much web designers charge. Charging a very low or very high price can ruin your business. The project cost should be profitable for you and within the client’s budget constraints. All you need to do is market analysis, a thorough understanding of the project & evaluation of your skills.
Looking for better estimation solutions? Moon Invoice is your answer. Check out the pricing now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much to charge for a 20-page website?
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Jayanti Katariya is the founder & CEO of Moon Invoice, with over a decade of experience in developing SaaS products and the fintech industry. He holds a degree in engineering. Since 2011, Jayanti's expertise has helped thousands of businesses, from small startups to large enterprises, streamline invoicing, estimation, and accounting operations. His vision is to deliver top-tier financial solutions globally, ensuring efficient financial management for all business owners.
